Five Mouthwatering Sarasota Salads

When I was growing up, my mother served a salad every night, so, of course, I prefer beautiful giant salads over just about anything. When crisp vegetables and lettuces come together and the dressing enhances and doesn't drown out the main ingredients, you have something special as a meal opener or even a full entrée.

There are many wonderful salads around the Suncoast, but these stand out for their freshness and creativity:

239 S Links Ave., Sarasota, (941) 706-4740, indigenoussarasota.comChef Steven Phelps has a perfect handle on delicate salads, with the ingenuity to use black garlic as a key component in his dressing. Served with hydroponic Bibb lettuce, carrots, radishes and fennel, the salad comes dressed with Phelps' black garlic vinaigrette, a dusting of Manchego and sumac poppadom crunch. Your tastebuds open with glee, setting the table for a perfect meal.

5353 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, (941) 925-4444, creekseafood.comA giant platter of tropical freshness, the calypso salad comes with your choice of several different grilled fish. While I usually order the salmon, the restaurant's grouper is a perfect substitute. Set atop grilled plantains, chickpeas, crisp green beans and mixed greens, it's a colossal entrée salad and a Saturday lunch ritual.

1578 Main St., Sarasota, (941) 955-2683, phocalisarasota.comFor me, it's always a touch choice between No. 79, with rice noodles and steak, and the shrimp and pork lotus stem salad, a house specialty. It's the crispy shallots that send this simple pleasure over the top. Young lotus stems are layered with shrimp, sliced pork, shredded Vietnamese pickles, those shallots and roasted peanuts. Delicious.